


Mending a Broken Dream

by philaetos



Series: Studies [9]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, baz with his siblings and his nieces and nephews, just... baz with kids, that’s all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 11:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philaetos/pseuds/philaetos
Summary: “I never will have children.But I had them, and it filled the void.I had them, and it was enough.”———————————A self-indulgent follow up toWatch a Dream Breakingwith more scenes involving Baz and kids
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Studies [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010952
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Mending a Broken Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I only have one or two other ideas for this, and I don’t even know when I’ll write them, it’s really just for fun ^^

“Today, we are going to make gifts for Mother’s Day!”

All the children gasp excitedly, happy to know the afternoon won’t be filled with lengthy sentences to read or too numerous maths problems to solve. 

Two of them, however, are less enthusiastic than the others. The teacher knows it, and she smiles at them kindly. “Theo, Charlotte, I’ll tell you what you can do after I give the instructions.”

The children, a boy with frizzy black hair and a girl with blonde curls, both nod.

Charlotte looks at Theo as the teacher speaks. He looks as disinterested as she feels, propping his chin up on his hands. None of them is concerned by _Mother’s_ Day. Miss Khan will probably give them colour by number pages or jigsaw puzzles so that they can keep busy while they others make something for their mums.

When her teacher gestures to Charlotte to walk up to her desk, the little girl hops out of her chair, crossing the classroom while the other kids take their colouring pencils and other crafting supplies out of their bags. 

Charlotte plays with the ruffles around the waistband of her skirt as Miss Khan talks to Theo and her.

“I don’t want the two of you to be excluded from today’s activity, so I’m going to ask you to choose someone you want to make a present for…”

“Can I do one of my dads?” Charlotte interrupts, dark brown eyes looking up at her teacher, who shakes her head.

“Don’t you think it would be better to make them both a gift for Father’s Day?”

Charlotte thinks about for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing, before she nods vigorously. That’s a good idea. Her dads are her _dads_ after all, it makes more sense to do what Miss Khan said than to make a Mother’s Day present for one of them. Besides, she wouldn’t know if she should give it to dad or daddy.

Miss Khan smiles again. “So today, you two are going to makena present for someone who isn’t your dad. Or dads,” she adds, looking Charlotte’s way. “Think about an adult in your life who takes good care of you, someone you would want to give a present too. It can be one of your grandparents for example, an uncle or an auntie, or a friend of your parents. Anyone you love. Do you have any idea?”

Theo nods timidly. “My nonna.”

“Your nonna, that’s a great idea, Theo. And you, Charlotte? Is there anyone?”

The little girl nods too, grinning.

**…**

**Niall**

Charlotte is humming joyfully when she comes through the gates of the school, a small smile on her, which brings one to mine.

She had a good day, then. That’s great. 

“Hello, Charlie,” I tell her, taking her little hand in mine. “Did you enjoy yourself today?”

She looks up at me, smiling even wider, so much that I can see the gap in her teeth, where her adult tooth hasn’t grown yet.

“Yes! We made gifts for Mother’s Day, it was so fun!”

I know they have, I’ve heard other kids in her class talk about it to their parents.

When I heard that, I wondered what the teacher had done, for Charlotte and that other kid in her class who is only raised by his father. 

I’m glad she seemingly made them do whatever activity she had planned instead of giving them a task different from the other children’s.

If it means that my daughter gets to do the same thing as her classmate and doesn’t feel excluded because she doesn’t have a mum, I don’t mind getting a Mother’s Day gift. I’m sure Dev wouldn’t either if he was the one she offered the gift to.

“That’s awesome sweetheart! What is it that you made? Are you going to give it to me?” I ask with an excited gasp that makes her giggle, before she shakes her head.

“No, daddy you’re silly! You’re not my mother I can’t give you a Mother’s Day gift! Miss Khan had a great idea, she said I’d make two gifts on Father’s Day for dad and you, and today I could make my gift for whoever I wanted, as long as it wasn’t one of you.”

“Oh, and who did you make it for, then?” I ask, smiling at her enthusiasm. That kid is so adorable. I’m still surprised that my heart doesn’t suddenly burst every time I hear her laugh.

I may have an idea or two who it might be, but little kids are so unpredictable, there are high chances that Charlie didn’t think of the same people as me. 

“Uncle Baz, of course! Daddy could we go to his place so that I can give him the gift, please, please, please.”

She tugs on my hand, looking at me with pleading eyes and jumping with each “please”.

“Yeah,” I answer, which makes her let go of my hand to clap. I promptly grab her hand again, before I add “But we have to go home first.”

She doesn’t look very pleased by that at first, but then her face lights up. “Could I change my clothes then? I wanna wear my Elsa costume!”

Not the blasted Elsa costume _again._

I’m sure Baz only bought her that stuff because he has no pity for Dev and I _and_ half a dozen little sisters, so he knows what makes little girls -and their poor parents who have to hear _Let it go_ 50 times a day- go mad. 

I pat her head with my free hand. “Not today honey. You’re going to wear pretty clothes, and dad and I will to, so that Uncle Baz and Uncle Simon are forced to invite us for dinner since we dressed up for them, how about that?”

Being offered food made by Simon seems to make her forget all about her costume. Thank Merlin. I give her one last smile, before reaching inside my pocket to text Baz.

**…**

**Niall** : I’m inviting myself over at your place tonight

 **Niall** : with Dev and Charlotte, of course

 **Niall** : that goes without saying

 **Baz** : Are you, now?

 **Niall** : yes

 **Baz** : Pity.

 **Baz** : You’re ruining my plan to christen every room in this house with my husband.

 **Niall** : you moved in forever ago, it’s not christening your house needs, it’s a whole fucking exorcism to get rid of all that bad energy you two have put in it with your sinful activities (do you have any idea how long it takes to type this one-handed?)

 **Baz** : So sinful.

 **Baz** : Anyway, what tells you that you CAN invite yourself? What if Simon and I did have plans? Or if he had work?

 **Niall** : you’re the one who keeps complaining about Simon’s shifts. he doesn’t have one on Thursday night but he has a full day on Friday so you two “can't do anything interesting” because he needs to rest

 **Baz** : So you actually listen to me when I talk? I didn’t think so.

 **Niall** : will you just stop being annoying and tell me if it’s alright for us to come

 **Baz** : I thought you had already invited yourself? You don’t need me to tell you if it’s alright…

 **Niall** : you’re right, I don’t. see you in an hour or so

 **Baz** : 2 hours, please. Simon is taking a nap and I don’t want to wake him up too early.

 **Niall** : 2 hours it is, then

**…**

**Baz**

I set my computer on the table and head to the bedroom. He told me to wake him up at 5, and I have to tell him that the Hartleys are coming tonight anyway.

 _The Hartleys._ I wouldn’t call them to their face, they’d be too glad -or say that we’ve become old people- but I find it particularly lovely to call them that, in my head. 

‘Dev and Niall’ doesn’t really encapsulate the idea that they’re a couple. They were Dev and Niall before they got together. They’ve almost always been Dev and Niall, two halves of a whole. But since their wedding, they’ve been the Hartleys too. And now little miss Charlotte Hartley also fits under _the Hartleys._

That doesn’t work for Simon and I. Grimm-Pitch doesn’t sound as lovely when you add a ‘The’ before it and stick an ‘es’ at the end. 

Simon stirs in bed immediately when I open the door, but he doesn’t truly wake up.

Good.

I love waking him up.

He loves it too, when I do it softly instead of just shaking him awake.

That’s what I’m going to do today. Things are rough for him at work at the moment -something about a new trainee who’s completely useless and doesn’t listen to what they’re told -I wouldn’t want him to be anything but comfortable and pleased at home. 

I climb on the bed carefully, lying down behind him. I quickly shift to spoon him, holding him closely but not tightly, and I kiss the mole behind his ear. 

“Simon. Si, it’s time to wake up, love.”

He sighs softly, moving against me as he comes awake.

I kiss his neck, light, barely there kisses, before I’m interrupted when he turns around in my arms to snuggle up to me even more, but face to face this time, the both of us still laying our sides. 

“Hey,” I whisper into his ear when he nestles his head under mine and on my shoulder. 

He hums in acknowledgment, but I think he’s still too sleepy to answer.

I smile, slipping my hand between his jumper and his undershirt, stroking his back up and down. 

“Did you sleep well?”

He hums again.

I take a breath to start talking, to mention what Niall said, but a low voice interrupts me “Shhh. Cuddle.”

I laugh tenderly at that, pressing a kiss to his hair before somehow getting my free hand to thread through it -it’s a weird angle, my wrist isn't going to thank me. 

“Okay, then. Let’s cuddle.”

He lets out an adorable, pleased moan.

**…**

“My love,” I whisper after some time, because as dreamy as it is, being in bed with my husband, my friends are coming and I know Simon is going to want to make good food, which will take time, which means he has to start soon. “Niall texted me. They’re coming tonight.”

He moves his head away from the crook of my neck. I feel so much colder already, and the rest of his body is still tangled with mine. 

“Tonight? Why? Is there a special occasion I forgot? Baz, I told you to write important stuff on the calendar, you _know_ I don’t remember things, I can barely remember birthda…”

I interrup him by pressing my index finger against his lips.

“Hush. You didn’t forget anything. They just want to spend the evening eith us, I suppose.”

He visibly relaxes. “Oh. Okay then. Nice. Yeah, that’s great. It’s been a while after all.”

Now that he isn’t worrying about having forgotten something, the excitement of having people over seems to have taken him. He pushes himself up, and out of bed immediately. “What should I make?” he asks, grabbing his glasses on the bedside table.

He’s so handsome with them. It’s a pity he wears his contacts most of the time.

“It has to be something Lottie will eat,” he continues, still as excitedly. 

He’s like a puppy waggling its tail. 

“Baz! Stop staring and be helpful! What should I make?”

I chuckle, looking back at him. He has his fists on his hips, annoyed eyes turned to me. “Come on, give me ideas.”

“Just make whatever you can, Si. Even if it’s not something Charlotte will like, we have dino nuggets in the freezer, she’ll be perfectly fine with that.”

“Dino nuggets,” he says like I’ve just insulted his honour. As if _he_ doesn’t heat up dino nuggets at least once a week because he’s still a child at heart. “Do I look like someone who would make _dino nuggets_ when our friends are coming over?”

I roll my eyes. And he calls _me_ dramatic. “I’ll deal with Charlie’s dinner, then. You take care of the grown-up food.”

He shakes his head, muttering “ _Dino nuggets_ ” under his breath as he heads out.

**…**

**Dev**

“Damn, Dev, you’re really handsome when you make an effort,” Niall says, hooking his arm around my neck.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I answer, looking down appreciatively at his outfit.

It’s simple, but elegant, all in neutral tones, with only a hint of a more vivid colour, the blue pendant of his sapphire -his birthstone- necklace. Very Niall. 

He smiles, before leaning in to peck my lips. Nothing too long or showy, and absolutely no tongue. Never when Charlotte is around.

Apparently, it’s still too much for her because she starts expressing her disgust. “Ew! Stop that’s gross, stop!”

We both laugh as we break apart. 

When I look at her, I see that Charlotte is hiding her eyes. That child is _so_ dramatic. We let Baz babysit her much too often, I’m sure he’s the one who gave her all of her nasty traits and habits. 

I quickly make my way to her and scoop her up, making her gasp, and then giggle, before I put her down again.

“Have you got your present for Uncle Baz?” I ask, since according to Niall, that’s why we’re going to Baz and Simon’s in the first place. 

“Yup!” she exclaims, showing me the small gift bag in her hand. 

“Can I know what it is?”

She shakes her head, blond locks flying around her. “No. It’s not for you. You’ll see when I give it to him,” she decrees.

Little demon.

I reach out to ruffle her hair, but I can already hear Niall’s outraged complaints if I mess her hair more than she will by running around, so I abstain. 

“Well, we should go then. I’m curious to see what you’ve made, cupcake,” I tell her, booping her nose.

**…**

**Baz**

I’m pretty sure Charlotte is the one who knocked. It was loud, repeated knocking. 

As I open, I see that she’s standing before her parents, so I was right, she is the one who knocked.

I barely have time to say hello and let them all in that she’s hopping in place in front of me, raising her hands up to show me a gift bag. 

“For you!” she says.

Niall still hasn’t taken his coat off. “Charlie, let Baz breathe.”

She drops her arms immediately, a pouty expression writing itself all over her face. “But I just want to give him his present.”

I crouch in front of her. “Give me your present princess, don’t listen to him,” I say, glancing at Niall with amusement in my eyes, which makes him roll his, before looking back at her.

She’s suddenly much more cheerful, grinning widely as she hands me the bag.

She’s balancing herself on her toes and heels, waiting for me to look inside of it.

I do.

There are two things, a card, and what looks like a necklace made with those translucent pearls she loves so much. The pearls come in different shapes, and, as I notice when I take the necklace out of the bag, it seems that Charlie used all of them. Squares, spheres, diamonds, stars, and hearts. 

I break in a smile.

“It’s beautiful, princess,” I tell her. “However I think it might be a little short for me to wear as a necklace. Do you mind if I wear it on my wrist?”

She shakes her head, so I twist the necklace around my wrist, making it look like there are two bracelets from the front.

The flashy, colourful, plastic pearls look very out of place facing the sober black watch adorning my other wrist, and the fancy looking fabric of my jumper, but you won’t catch me taking it off, and I care _a lot_ about my outfits and accessories being cohesive.

“Read the card now,” Charlotte asks immediately, and I oblige.

I take the card, my smile widening when I see the flower painted with her fingerprints, and my name in capital letters, in her childish handwriting. 

I observe the front for a few seconds, before opening it.

There’s a drawing on one side of the card, and on the other, a few lines, also in Charlotte’s handwriting. Big letters next to smaller ones, sentences that go up and down because there aren’t lines on the card for her to have a point of reference to write straight. It’s endearing. 

Firstly there’s a little poem, something clearly made for children, and about love. I suppose she did this in class, then. 

Then, under the poem, there’s a sentence, that I know she has written without any supervision because it has a little mistake in it that a teacher would have corrected, which only makes it more adorable in my opinion.

 _“Your the best uncle in the whole world I love you.”_ , and she signed her name. 

I can’t help it, I feel tears spring to my eyes. 

_Aleister Crowley, Baz._ You’re 30, you’re not going to cry over a present from a little kid. 

“It’s wonderful, Charlotte. I love it, thank you so much,” I tell her, kissing her cheek as I put the card back inside the bag carefully. 

“I made the necklace at home,” she explains, very seriously, which makes me chuckle. She’s such a cute kid. I look at her, showing her that I’m paying attention. “But I made the card at school. Today the other students were making cards for Mother’s Day, but since I don’t have a mum, Miss Khan said I should pick someone I love and who takes good care of me to make my card for, so I chose you!”

I pull her into a hug, trying to hide my tear-filled eyes before she can see them. “I love you too, princess.”


End file.
